PEX vex: Partners uninvited from the VMware party – report

All right, partner?

+Comment VMware has reportedly asked at least two vendors – including Nutanix and Veeam – to "limit" their "presence" on the exhibition floor of the virtualisation juggernaut's Partner Exchange conference next week, prompting consternation in the storage community.

VMware hasn't made a comment yet, leaving analysts and commentators to speculate that it is a move prompted by weakness and not strength. Veeam currently has a competing backup and protection offering for VMware virtual machines and it has been conjectured that VMware plans to push its own improved line-up of backup products at the event.

Nutanix is making the running with converged server/storage systems. VMware has recently launched its own VSAN, a software product which is going in the same direction.

VMware also features in the converged Vblock systems from VCE (VMware, Cisco, EMC), yet these are not as converged as Nutanix’s boxes and typically cost more, placing them, you would think, in a different market sector.

Meanwhile, Simplivity, a Nutanix competitor, will be present at PEX and is a Global Platinum sponsor, one down from the top: Global Diamond Sponsor level.

Comment

Nutanix is moving to support Hyper-V and KVM and this may have been what prompted VMware's exclusion move. Gelsinger’s gang may also want to make a big VSAN announcement at PEX and not have VSAN indirectly validate Nutanix’s approach and take away some of VSAN's shiny lustre. Of course we're just speculating here.

Veeam is just rocketing up the scale and obliterating virtually everyone else in the VMware VM backup protection stakes. As VMware has its own data protection product, Data Protection Advanced, there is speculation that this may have been a factor.

Veeam will, apparently, be a sponsor at a future VMWorld this year so we have what looks like a one-off exclusion.

Competitors like CommVault - a Global Platinum sponsor, Symantec - a Gold sponsor, Unitrends - a Silver sponsor, and Zerto - a Bronze sponsor - will be at PEX.

The exclusion won’t stop Nutanix and Veeam being in San Francisco, where the exchange conference is being held next week, and meeting other VMware partners.